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TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces overnight Thursday arrested 70 Palestinians working in the country illegally, Israeli media said.

Israeli forces raided the northern towns of Shfaram, Kfar Menda, Ilut and other Palestinian majority areas and arrested laborers working on construction sites and agricultural fields, Ynet reported.

Around 67 of those arrested will be questioned and returned to the occupied West Bank.

The arrests come in response to the killing of an Israeli soldier on Wednesday by a young Palestinian who was residing in the country illegally, Ynet said.

Around 30,000 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank work in Israel, mostly in the field of construction, with an additional 30,000 working in Israeli settlements, Israeli workers rights group Kav LaOved says.

Palestinians face an arduous journey to cross into Israel to work, having to wait for hours at crowded checkpoints and often sleeping outside near crossings to avoid delays.

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